Easy Headliner Repair? Middle of liner

C

ChefJunk

Member
exMember
Joined
Oct 30, 2007
RO Number
28882
Messages
454
I was wondering if anyone had a suggestion to help me repair a sagging headliner without removing the adhered sections.

I have a 1986 Carver 28 Mariner and there is a spot, approximately 2x3 in the middle of the headliner that needs some attention. Everywhere else is very well adhered and in great condition.

Is there a glue that I could put in a syringe/needle and put through the fabric?

Thanks,

Jim
 
Jim, Check with a shop that does auto headliners, they should be able to give you an idea.
 
many liners have a foam backing. as they age the foam disintegrates and it cant be glued back to look right. The auto shop is a good idea as they can probably replace the whole thing.
 
Jim

Most of the headliners in the 1986 era were fabricated with a solvent based spray adhesive. The adhesive was sprayed onto both surfaces, allowed to tack up somewhat and bonded like a contact adhesive. Usually, the fabric was backed by a thin layer of foam.

If you can provide more details, I might be able to come up with some additional suggestions. Does it seem like the fabric itself is loose, or does it seem like the foam/fabric laminate is loose? It's a question of what failed and the condition of the underlying substrates.

Those types of adhesives could be heat activated and bonded under moderate pressure. If the adhesive itself let go, you might want to try using an iron, set on medium to medium high, and applying pressure in that area.

Bob
 
Bob,

I had a closer look today. It seems that there is no foam behind the fabric. The fabric does not have a stop point in the middle of the roof. It appears that like the carpet, the fabric was also installed prior to any of the bulkheads, cabinets, fixtures, etc.

I suppose I could cut along the aft end of the forward stateroom roof but I am concerned about the finished edge at that point.

The liner does not have any flex at all and you can clearly tell that there is a (carpet like) liner glued directly to the glass.

Thanks for any advice....do you think the syringe idea would work? Maybe squirt it in, in twenty or so places, squish it around, pull back apart to dry, then carefully marry together? What would I use?

Thanks,

Jim
 
I had the same problem with a previous boat and tried to fix it by making a small slit in the fabric and spraying some adhesive inside. It worked ok but make sure you don't saturate the fabric with adhesive as it turns it yellow. Probably a job for a professional if one is available.
 
Jim,

I've been away for a few days.

They sell powder type adhesives at various sewing or fabric stores, which can be heat bonded with an iron and would not leave a visible repair. They also sell gel type adhesives for fabric bonding. I believe that both of those type products could be applied by means of a syringe and then heat activated.

The problem with liquid adhesives is that they're going to soak into the fabric and possibly cause a very unnatural looking repair.

Bob
 
Jim,

I re-read your prior posts and have a couple questions. Is the 2x3 area you refer to 2"x3" or 2'x3'?

Secondly, did you contact Carver to see what type of adhesive they used originally to bond the fabric?

Bob
 
It is 2'x3' approx. and no I did not. I will check it out.

Thanks,

Jim
 
quote:
Originally posted by ChefJunk

I was wondering if anyone had a suggestion to help me repair a sagging headliner without removing the adhered sections.

I have a 1986 Carver 28 Mariner and there is a spot, approximately 2x3 in the middle of the headliner that needs some attention. Everywhere else is very well adhered and in great condition.

Is there a glue that I could put in a syringe/needle and put through the fabric?

Thanks,

Click to expand...


A picture would be helpful, I just made a repair to my headliner last fall, I had one pro look at it and they wanted thousands to do it.
As far as my repair it was at a seam and I could never get it to match again ( the reason I had a pro look at it) The only way I would have been able to match the seam would be to remove the entire headliner and start over ( was not going happen) I went to a marine upholstery shop and got some ideas and ended up using a vinyl strip for seams , had some term for it like seamless repair or something like that. But anyway after 3 days of trying to match I spent 15 bucks on the strip and stapled the headliner back in place.
It really helped for me to get a pro in there to help me understand more what I was dealing with, even if I had already started the job. Estimates are usually free and you can get good advice.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top